Transforming barren old durian trees into fruit-bearing ones

This old durian tree used to have no more than seven fruits every year but now bears more than 100 fruits in a season! — Photos: HO TING SENG

For years, smallholder farmer Wong Pong Sing was dismayed by the meagre crop his durian trees yielded. The trees, which were planted more than 35 years ago, typically bore no more than seven fruits each durian season.

So Wong turned to sustainable agriculture expert Dr Ho Ting Seng for help. Ho is the chairman of the Sustainable Agrotech Association (Sata) Foundation and a natural farming advocate who established a pilot project in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan last year.